


Let Me See the Stars

by Mo-Mouse (abyssmalDeath)



Series: This world of color [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Short & Sweet, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 01:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18377849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abyssmalDeath/pseuds/Mo-Mouse
Summary: All Keith had ever known in his life was the comforting, bland shades of grey that filled his vision on a daily basis. It was known that finding one’s soulmate, as they had coined the term, would allow the world to be filled with vibrant colors. Keith called bullshit. Not because he was against the thought of falling in love, or whatever people wanted to view it as, but the whole idea was ridiculous in his opinion.





	Let Me See the Stars

All Keith had ever known in his life was the comforting, bland shades of grey that filled his vision on a daily basis. It was known that finding one’s soulmate, as they had coined the term, would allow the world to be filled with vibrant colors. Keith called bullshit. Not because he was against the thought of falling in love, or whatever people wanted to view it as, but the whole idea was ridiculous in his opinion. He didn’t understand how meeting one person could suddenly fill the world with color. His mother had talked about it once or twice when Keith had asked about his father, but all it did was fortify Keith’s beliefs that the thought of a soulmate was stupid and pointless. Everyone always made it out to be some grand thing to be celebrated, but being his mother’s soulmate didn’t stop his dad from disappearing when he was only five years old and Keith would never let himself forget that. He would rather stay within the comforting lines of greyscale than risk the hurt he’d gotten used to seeing his mother wear whenever she thought he wasn’t looking.

“This is Takashi Shirogane, one of our top students. I expect you _all_ to be on your best behavior.” Commander Iverson bore a presence that demanded respect, and while most of the other students probably assumed he was, indeed, talking to the class as a whole, Keith found himself believing that his stern words were more directed at _him_ than anyone else. He sinks down in his chair a little, glancing around at the other students around him. A couple of them were giving him pointed looks, and he wanted to snap and tell them to quit staring, but that was exactly the kind of reaction they were trying to draw out of him. So, instead, he focuses his attention forward on the blackboard, not really sparing a second glance towards the man who was now introducing himself as _Shiro_ , as he insisted they call him. To Keith, all he was was another black and white profile to tuck away and forget. 

“What about you, Keith?” An unfamiliar voice startles him out of his successful attempt to tune out his classmates, and his gaze flicks up to the man-- Shiro, his brain supplies-- standing above him. He blinks, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights as he tries to scramble for the question that was obviously asked as a predecessor to the one that had called him out now. He was drawing a blank. He lost interest after Shiro started talking about his childhood, effectively tuning out the rest of the conversation.

“Uh...” He supplies intelligently, tongue darting out to wet his chapped lips as he struggles. He can hear someone snickering, and his gaze slides over to find James Griffin with a cocky smirk on his face that Keith would enjoy nothing more than to knock off of him. He grimaces, looking down at his desk as the tips of his ears start to burn. “I didn’t--” 

“He’s a waste of time, sir. I wouldn’t even bother.” James pipes up, and Keith’s fingernails are digging into his palms hard enough that he’s surprised he’s not bleeding right now. A couple of his classmates laugh, the girl next to him shifts uncomfortably, but nobody bothers to correct him. He’s had enough. 

“Shut _up_!” He yells, slamming his palms down on his desk as he stands, violently knocking his chair back. The room stills, and all Keith wants to do is get out of there.

“Keith--” Shiro reaches for him, but Keith doesn’t let him touch him. He slaps his arm away, shoving past him to hurry to the exit.

“Leave me alone.” He snaps, ignoring Iverson’s hollering as he runs down the hallway. Hot tears blur his vision, making it nearly impossible to see where he’s going until he’s forced to stop, finding an empty classroom to hide himself away in. He sobs, sliding down against the door until his knees are pulled to his chest and he can bury his face in his arms, pillowed on his knees. He knew he was in for a stern lecture once he decided to show his face again, but for now, all he could do was concentrate on leveling out his breathing until he could do more than gasp and hiccup between the wretched noises that come from him. He was on his last straw, and he was fully aware of that. He wouldn’t be surprised if Commander Iverson was filling out the formal paperwork to have him removed from the academy right now. He’s in the room longer than he’d intended, and it isn’t until someone knocks softly on the door that he snaps out of it. He wipes his eyes and stands, straightening his uniform before he opens the door. He doesn’t expect none other than Shiro himself to crowd into his space, shutting the door behind him. 

“Keith. I came to find you and check on you— are they always like that?” Keith is too bewildered to process what Shiro is saying for a moment, leaving him to flounder like a fish out of water. Once his brain catches up with the conversation, he shakes his head, waving his hand a little. 

“I’m fine, Takashi. James is always full of himself and it’s because he’s jealous of my—“

“Flight sim scores, when you’re actually being serious. I know, Keith. How do you think I know who you are? Nobody has come close to my high score since I set it. I had to know who I was passing the mantle onto.” He gives a lopsided grin, and damn it all if that doesn’t make something stir within Keith’s gut. He quickly stamps that feeling down. Everyone who knew Shiro had some sort of crush on him, right? 

“I— wait, passing the mantle? What the hell are you talking about? Commander Iverson is probably filling out the forms to get me kicked out right now.” He sighs, rubbing his face. “I’ve had too many incidents.” He tacks on, hugging himself as he drops his gaze to the floor. Shiro’s hand lands on his shoulder, and he can feel the warmth radiating even through his cadet jacket. It’s enough to draw his gaze back up, and he doesn’t have the words for the look on Shiro’s face. 

“Keith, you show more promise than you know. You just have to...focus. Patience yields focus. I _know_ you can do it. Let me help you. You just have to promise me you’ll never give up.” His words are too much for Keith, and he takes a few steps back, nearly tripping over his own feet. 

“What are you going to do, Shiro? Everyone else has already given up on me and I don’t have a future here.” Despite himself, he can’t stop thinking about Shiro’s words. He did have promise. Even he could see that, to be honest, but his ability to pay attention had wavered over the years. He was hopeless. A delinquent in the eyes of everyone else. He can feel the sting of tears as they well up again, and he shakes his head, turning around to hide his face in his hands. This was embarrassing. 

“That’s not true. Give me a chance to help you out. I think if you have someone fighting for you in your corner, you’ll surprise even yourself. I’ll never give up on you, Keith, I promise.” Perhaps it’s the conviction in Shiro’s voice, but Keith can’t help but to feel like he’s telling the truth somehow. He hesitates, taking a moment to dry his face before he turns around, rubbing his eyes a little. 

“You— you won’t give up on me? Are you sure you want to take that challenge on? I mean, you barely know me. Nobody else has been able to do anything for me. What makes you think you can?” He grabs at the front of his jacket, twisting the material nervously in his grip. Shiro grabs his wrists, bringing the nervous motions to a halt and forcing Keith to look at him. He’s starting to realize that Shiro’s touch is succeeding in calming him down, warm and secure, and he likes it. 

“I believe in you, and I know what it’s like to not have anyone there for you. I’d rather give a little to make sure you succeed than sit by and watch you fail.” Shiro let’s him go, and Keith almost misses the warmth, but he hides it by tucking his hands in his pockets. He grimaces a little, thinking about Shiro’s words, before he hesitantly nods his head. What was the worst that could happen, after all? He wanted nothing more than to complete the program, and if Shiro could help him stay focused, then he’d be able to achieve that goal. 

“All right, fine, you can help.” He pushes his fingers through his hair, and Shiro offers a relieved smile. 

“I’ll make sure you pass. I’ll go speak with Commander Iverson and make sure he doesn’t kick you out. Hang in there, Keith. You’re gonna do great things.” He gives an all-to-warm smile before he leaves Keith in the classroom with the feeling of a slight bubble of hope. Shiro had faith in him. One of the best cadets in the academy believed he could succeed. He hoped he was right.

From that day in the classroom, the two of them had grown nearly inseparable. Shiro spent a lot of his free time helping Keith study, or teaching him techniques to cool his temper down before he resorted to punching someone. Things were going well, and it wasn’t until a few months later that Keith realized he was starting to develop a very blatant crush on his mentor. 

“Uh, Keith? Are you all right? You’re...staring again.” Shiro chuckles, voice breaking him out of another mild day dream. He was having a hard time focusing this afternoon and, while he felt bad for it, he couldn’t help it. He waves his hand, brushing his fingers through his hair before he rubs his face tiredly.

“I’m sorry, Shiro. We’re gonna have to call it a night. I can’t focus.” He shakes his head, heaving a sigh. From the corner of his eye, he can see Shiro tilt his head a little before he reaches over, resting his hand on Keith’s shoulder. “All right then. Wanna go for a ride on the hoverbike?” He asks, and Keith can’t help the way he sits upright, energy restored by the thought of getting to hop on the back of Shiro’s hoverbike again. Shiro laughs at his enthusiasm, closing the barely-touched textbook before he stands, stretching a little and grabbing his jacket to put on. “Don’t laugh at me. You’re just as excited to go for a ride as I am. Hey, can we go to that ridge that overlooks the valley?” He asks, shrugging on his own leather jacket. Shiro chuckles and nods, passing him the spare helmet he’d gotten into the habit of keeping around. That was the cycle of their lives - habits formed over the course of a couple months. Habits that grounded him when he needed it. Habits that made Shiro’s cramped quarters feel like home to him, comfortable and safe. 

He takes the helmet as it’s offered to him, fingers brushing over the smooth carbon-fiber exterior as he follows Shiro out of the dorm and into the nearby garage that held the sleek black hoverbike. It was a well-loved machine, used often, but between the pair of them they always made sure it was in top shape. 

Keith slides onto the bike behind Shiro after placing the helmet snuggly on his head, wrapping his arms around his waist as the machine whirs to life beneath them, lifting them a little off the ground. Once they get moving, he can feel the night-time breeze even through his jacket, and he presses a little closer to Shiro to try and block the feeling. It works, if mostly only because he could feel the warmth radiating from Shiro even through his riding jacket. 

The ride to the cliffs is quiet, and not just because they wouldn’t be able to hear each other over the rushing of the wind. Keith was lost in his thoughts. Shiro had mostly kept to his promise, helping Keith and making sure he stayed on track to pass his classes. The academy was about more than high flight sim scores and, while Keith desperately wanted to be a pilot, he had to have more knowledge than just tactical knowledge. If Shiro hadn’t seen promise in him, he would’ve more likely than not been kicked out by now. He’s grateful, and he doesn’t know how to show that. He’s drawn from his thoughts when the hoverbike slows to a stop, settling back on the ground, and Keith blinks, letting go of Shiro to pull his helmet off. They’re on top of the cliffs, and Keith’s gaze automatically turns to the sky. He’s heard how beautiful the sky is supposed to be, and he can see the faint swirls of gray that hide behind the bright pin-pricks of the stars, and he can’t help but to sigh a little, bracing himself against the stationary hover as he watches the sky. Next to him, Shiro removes his helmet, running his fingers through his tuft of hair, and Keith almost wants to tear his gaze away from the sky to stare at him. He doesn’t, though, settling for the occasional glance out of the corner of his eye.

“You’re doing well, Keith. I’m really proud of you. Even the brass are impressed with your progress. They were skeptical at first, but even they have started to see the good in you. Promise me you’ll keep it up?” Something about Shiro’s tone tips him off-- something is wrong. His voice, while it’s praising and reassuring, drops a little at the end, and Keith can feel the slight tension.

“Shiro? What’s going on?” He finally tears his gaze away from the sky, brow furrowing a little as he settles a concerned look on Shiro, who’s pointedly looking out over the valley. The silence between them is palpable, stretching for far too long, and Keith starts to flick through everything that’s happened in the past few months. Had he done something to drive Shiro away? Pushed the boundaries just enough that Shiro didn’t feel uncomfortable being his mentor anymore? Panic starts to filter through his veins, heart hammering away in his chest as his palms start to sweat. After what feels like a moment too long, Shiro finally turns to look at him, and Keith is startled out of his panic to see tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. Even if they don’t fall, Keith still knows they’re there, and something twists sharply in his chest.

“I’m leaving. I was selected for the Kerberos mission, and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I don’t want you to derail, though. I want you to promise me that you’ll keep studying like I showed you, and that you’ll stay out of trouble.” Shiro’s voice manages to remain steady, but Keith feels like the floor has dropped out from under him. He gapes, unable to form anything coherent, and he can’t even explain why it feels like something is stabbing between his ribs. He presses his fingers to where the pain is the worst, forcing his gaze to tear away from Shiro. “I can’t-- I can’t do this without you, Shiro. It’s not-- I’m--” He tries to put his feelings into words, and it doesn’t work. He stutters, tripping over his thoughts until he’s forced to take a collective breath. In that time, Shiro walks over to him and grabs his shoulders, fingers digging in almost painfully. It forces Keith to look at him, and he almost can’t stand it. How was Shiro remaining so calm when Keith felt like he was tumbling back down into a dark place that he didn’t want to remember? He couldn’t handle it.

“You _can_ , and you will. I believe in you, Keith. Even if I’m not right here with you, I’ll always be your biggest supporter. Look-- here.” Shiro straightens, removing something from around his neck. It’s a silver pendant on a sturdy looking chain, about the size of a quarter, and it splits down the middle to open up around a rainbow metal crescent moon sealed safely with clear resin. “I know you won’t forget me, but hopefully this will help you stay on track.” He places it around Keith’s neck before he can protest, and all Keith can do is stare at it before his gaze flicks back up to Shiro. He wonders if he’s wearing his heart on his sleeve, but he doesn’t dare to ask.

“Shiro, I-- I’ll do my best. I promise, I’ll stay on track, and when you get back, I’ll be top of my class. I’ll make you proud. Be careful, Shiro. Can you promise me that? A promise for a promise.” Keith nearly whispers, but Shiro grins so widely and suddenly that it nearly catches him off guard and makes his head spin. 

“I can do that. I promise I’ll come back, and I’ll even try to be back in time for your graduation. Make me proud, Keith, prove to everyone else that you still deserve this.” Shiro playfully punches his shoulder, and Keith laughs, batting his hand away before his gaze turns back to the sky. He could do this. Shiro was going away, but the slight weight of the pendant against his chest was a persistent enough reminder of what he needed to do. He’d make Shiro proud. _Shiro, please..._

His eyes slip shut, but not before a catches a comet streaking across the sky, burning bright for a second before it disappears.

_Come home safely_.

\------------

“ _Five months ago..._ ”

Several months ago, Shiro left on a classified mission to Kerberos. His departure had dented Keith’s confidence a little, but he refused to acknowledge the pain and instead threw himself wholeheartedly into his studies. He was still doing all right, despite the fact that his classmates kept trying to discourage him now that Shiro wasn’t there to protect him. “ _Three members from the Galaxy Garrison departed on a ground-breaking mission to Kerberos. A few days ago, contact was suddenly and unexpectedly cut with the crew._ ”

Keith remembers watching the news broadcast live, remembers the pain that had lanced through his chest, caused him to collapse in the common room of the doors. Not even James had jabbed at him for crying, noise clawing its way out of his throat despite his attempts to clamp it down and keep it hidden. In fact, his classmates had left him alone, choking on his sobs in front of the TV.

“ _Senior Science Officer Samuel Holt, his son Matthew, and Takashi Shirogane were presumed dead this morning, following footage of an apparent crash, theorized to be the effects of pilot error_.”

_Make me proud, Keith_.

_A promise for a promise._

Shiro had broken his promise. A week after the broadcast, Keith withdrew from the program despite protests from Commander Iverson. He had tried to keep Keith onboard, telling him it was what Shiro would have wanted, but Keith didn’t care. Shiro wasn’t there to chastise him, to remind him that _patience yields focus_ , and he never would be again. He went home that night, his empty apartment echoing back the broken noises that tore free from his throat without his permission. 

That was two weeks ago, and every night since then, Keith played the broadcast on repeat, curled up in his bed as he clutched at the pendant Shiro had given him. He’d alternated between taking it off, locking it away in one of his drawers, and putting it back on. It was all he had left of the man who had dragged him out of the gutter only to disappear on him several months later. He hated Shiro for breaking his promise, but he couldn’t stop the swell of feelings he went through every time he watched the broadcast.

He was settling down for his nightly routine when his phone chimed at him. Had it not been such an unusual occurrence, he would have ignored it, but something compelled him to pick it up. He grimaces a little as James’ name appears on his screen, opening the message regardless.

_[JG:] Keith, something happened. You might want to get back here and see this for yourself._

He frowns at the message, wanted to ignore it, but something in his gut urged him to humor the other.

_[KK:] what are you talking about?_

Humoring James never really ended in anything good. He was bracing himself for some snide comment or remark when a picture pops up. It’s a containment tent in the heart of the valley that Keith and Shiro used to ride through. Those were hardly ever used, except in cases of--

_[JG:] Something crash landed. I can’t say any more, but I think you should really see it for yourself_.

Despite the tense rivalry that had bloomed between the two of them, Keith still trusted him to a very slim degree.If James was sending him images that are probably classified, there was probably some truth to his words. He sighs, running his fingers through his hair before he sits up, slouching forward a little.

_[KK:] I’ll be there in twenty_.

By the time Keith has dressed and made his way back to the Garrison, he’s alight with nerves. There was a section of fence not far from the crash site where the defenses were weaker, and Keith makes quick work of climbing over. Picking his way down the hazardous cliffside, Keith creeps closer and closer to the tent. He hears some yelling, some exclamations, and he ducks out of the way when a few more officers go sprinting towards the tent. There’s a loud clattering of metal, and he freezes, breath catching in his throat as he hears hurried footsteps running in his direction. He’s ready to turn and bolt when the figure bursts through the curtains, and his heart stops. 

“Shiro!” The word is out of his mouth before he can stop it, and the sudden rush of joy and relief makes him dizzy. Shiro’s gaze whips in his direction, recognition filtering across his features.

“Keith...?” Shouting from inside the tent interrupts their union, and almost without thinking, Shiro surges forward, grabbing Keith by the wrist as he starts to run. They had never touched skin-to-skin. It had always been through leather and cloth. When Shiro grabs his wrist, fingers wrapping warm and secure around his bare wrist, his vision bursts with _color_. The red of his jacket is startling in contrast to the beige sand beneath their feet. Shiro, somehow even more beautiful in color, is staring at him with wide eyes, but they don’t have time to dwell on this revelation. There’s yelling behind them, and that’s all it takes to spur the both of them into action. They could talk about this later. 

All Keith had ever known was the comforting shades of gray that filled his vision. Tonight, thanks to one Takashi Shirogane, presumed dead five months ago only to crash down back to earth with a foreign arm, Keith was seeing the world in color.

Later, when they’ve finally ran far enough to be left alone and Keith and Shiro sit on the edge of a cliff with their legs dangling over, Keith turns his gaze to the sky. For the first time, he sees the colors of the night time sky, and it takes his breath away. 

**Author's Note:**

> There will be sequel to this, I promise! This one was pretty and mild and tame but I don't see the sequel being the same. Just a warning. Anyways, feel free to follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/momouse6) for WIPs, updates, and more!!


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